In the Third Age of Middle Earth, in the days of King Calimehtar, the name Éothéod was for the first time heard in the lands of Gondor. The Éothéod originally came from the land of Rhovanion, that lay east of the Misty Mountains. They were most likely decendants of the house of Hador, and of men formerly known as Northmen. They were great horsemen and the bounds between them and Gondor were quickly established, as the were our kinsmen from afar.

After the great Plague had swept through hte lands of Gondor and Rhovanion in 1635, nearly half of the Northmen were lost. And when the invasion of the Wainriders appeared, the Northmen took the brunt of the first attacks. King Narmacil II of Gondor led a great army north to the south of Mirkwood, where our countrymen suffered a tragic defeat and saw the death of King Narmacil II. Some of the Northmen fled north to Erebor but others, under the leadership of Marhwini, settled down between mirkwood and Anduin. And this was the beginning of the Éothéod, which was at this time unknown to the people of Gondor.

King Calimehtar, son of Narmacil II, would later avenge the defeat of the Battle of the Plains. In a well laid plan, coordinated by the King and Marhwini, the Wainriders were tricked into sending a huge army south to meet the King’s forces. Calimehtar led his army into Ithilien and made sure the Wainriders saw his move. Calimehtar withdrew his forces and had the Wainriders follow him, leaving their homes behind. The battle continued upon the Dagorlad and this time, the Northmen led by Marhwini joined in and together they defeated the Wainriders in an overwhelming victory.

The Northmen followed the Wainriders north in their escape, increasing the amount of losses for them. When the Wainriders finally came within sight of their homes, they discovered that most of them were in flames. This was also part of Marhwini’s plan. Many Northmen had previously been enslaved by the Wainriders and these men were now revolting together with outlaws of the Mirkwood. But most of them were ultimately slain and the men of Marhwini were almost the only ones that remained of the Northmen. They returned to the Vales of Anduin where they lived until, in the 26th century, Eorl the Young helped Gondor defeat the Balchoth. Cirion, 12th Ruling Steward of Gondor, granted Eorl the land of Calenardhon, which was later known as Rohan. And the bonds between Gondor and the Éothéod were forever kept, ever since the days of Marhwini.

This only tells part of the story of the war against the Wainriders. To read more about the Battle of the Plains, click on the picture

To read more on the Wainriders and the Balchoth, follow this link:

Remember to read...it is the way to knowledge.

Yours truly

Jezabelle, Librarian of Gondor